Pumping and metering apparatus



Nov. 27, 1928. il 92,921

T. A. BANNING, JR

PUMPING AND METERING APPARATUS Filed Octl5, 1926 '5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov.27, 1928.

T. A. BANNING, JR

PUMPING AND METERING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 13, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov.27, 1928.

T. A. BANNING, JR

PUMPING AND METERING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 13, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 5Patented Nov. 27, 1928-.-

UNI TEDfSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

moms armmne, an, or WILMETTE, ILLINOIS.

PUMPING AND,ME'1ERING APPARATUS.

Application filed October 13, 1926. Serial No. 141,309.

This invention has to do with improvements in pumping and meteringapparatus. It has to do particularly with improvements in apparatus forpumping and metering such liquids as gasoline, naphtha, oils and otherliquids. The features of invention herein disclosed have been devisedwith particular con- .sideration of the requirements existing in thefeeding of gasoline and fuel for automobile and other automotiveservice; and I have illustrated and will describe the invention with 'aparticular view to meeting the requirements of such service;Nevertheless, it will be understood that the invention herein disclosedmay also be used to advantage for many other classes of service and,therefore, I do not in-- tend to limit myself to the particular classesof service above explained.

One'of the objects of the invention is to provide a pumping and meteringdevice in which use is made of displacement chambers or cylinders, boththe inlet and discharge check valves being located at the upper ends ofsaid chambers. By this arrangement there is assurance that the chamberswill completely discharge themselves of any entrained or entrapped airat the very beginning of the pumping operation so that thereafter theywill deliver a solid stream of liquid.

A further object in connection with the foregoing is to place both theinlet and dethereby leaving the space around the lower.

livery passages as well as the check valves adjacent to the upper endsof the chambers,

portions of the chambers available for the accommodation of othermechanisms.

' Another feature of the invention relates to the provision of variabledisplacement chambers in the form of expansible chambers.

These chambers are anchored at their upper ends and their upper ends aretherefore sta tionary, which is also true of the inlet and dis-' chargevalves and passages. The displacing actions are then secured by movingthe lower ends of the chambers so that as said lower ends are drawn downthe chambers are enlarged and a suction stroke is produced; Whereas, byraising the lower ends the chambers are reduced in siz e, therebydelivering or discharging a portion of thecontained liquid.

Another feature of the invention relates to the production of a verysimple form of mechation of the different chambers by a commonlnstrumentality located adjacent to their lower ends. 1

Another feature of the invention relate to the provision of a simpleform of actuating means for the tilting plate member, said actuatingmeans taking the form of an electric motor located above the'level ofthe chambers and in the upper portion of the structure, the tllt ngplate and lmmediately adjacent mechanisms being located adjacent to thelower ends of the chambers. By this means it is possible to operate thetilting plate and adacent connections'in a bath of lubricating 011within which they are submerged, the motor and other parts being locatedabove the level of said bath of oil and therefore unaffected by thesame.

Another feature of the invention relates to the provision of a drivingmotor having such characteristics that the torque applied to the tiltingplate driving mechanism will actually increase as the pumping speedincreases, thus ensuring an increase of liquid fuel pressure at thehigher pumping rates. This will be particularly desirable in the case ofdevices used for certain classes of service such as for feedingcarburetors of internal combustion engines on automobiles and otherautomotive vehicles. By this means a more perfeet and satisfactorycarburetor operation will be procured and at the same time the operationof the engine itself will be greatly improved. I

More particularly it is an object of the invention to drive the pumpingdevices by the use of a differentially compounded direct currentelectric motor, the compounding being such that the torque will increaseas the speed increases. By proper design of this motor the same can soconstructed as to give a. substantially greater turning eflort'or torqueat the higher speeds than at low speeds. A further object in thisconnection is to provide a, motorwhich has a relatiyely' Anotherfeature. in connection with the foregoing is the association of such amotor with a pumping mechanism itself whereby a desirable result isproduced in the form of an increased liquid pressure at the higher ratesof delivery.

A still further object of theinvention isto combine a suitable countingor integrating device with the mechanism so as to measure the quantityof liquid in suitable units, such as gallons. In this connection it isan object also to provide for simple calibration of the device wherebyit becomes possible to lnsure accurate metering of the liquid at allspeeds of operation. I I

A further 'object'in connection w1th the foregoing is to provide meansfor'preventing a backward rotation of the device, taking into accountthe fact that as far as the pumping action is concerned it will pumpequally well for either direction of motor rotation. This feature ofpreventing a backward movement is desirable in the case ofdifferentially compounded direct current motors, since in some instancesthese motors will start backwards Fig. 3 shows a horizontal section onthe linev 33 of Fig. 1 lookingin the direction of the arrows;

' Fig. 4 shows a fragmentary horizontal section on the line 44 of Fig. 1looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 shows a fragmentary vertical section on the line. 5 of'Fig. 1looking in the direction of the arrow but on enlarged scale; Fig. 6shows a detail section through one I of the inlet ball check valves,being taken on the line 6 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of thearrow but on enlarged scale;

Fig. 7 shows a fragmentary vertical section through the ball clutchwhich prevents backward rotation of the stub shaft but on enlarged scaleas compared to Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 8 shows diagrammatically a series of fuel connections forconnecting up the metering and pumping device to the fuel supply tankand to the engine carburetor; and

Fig. 9 shows a series of electrical connections for controlling thedevice and supplying the current thereto.

In the drawings I have provided a base plate 11, preferably circular inform. De:

pending from the bottom face of this plate are the three expansiblechambers 12, 13 and 14, the same being preferably located at equidistantpoints around the center of the plate.

Each of these chambers has its upper end anchored to the bottom face ofthe base plate 11, as-by brazing, soldering or other suitableconnection.

The lower ends of the chambers are closed by plates 15, such as shown inFig. 1, and these plates are provided with central downwardly dependinglugs 16 having the sidewise projecting stems 17 A tilting member 18 iscentrally located with respect to the lower ends of all of the chambers.This member is preferably made of two sections having companion recesseswhich establish a spherical socket to accommodate the ball 19 on theupper end of a stem '20. The lower tilting member is provided with anopening 21 of suflicient size to receive the stem 20 and allow for themaxim-um amount of tilting movement which is desired.

The chambers and tilting plate mechanism are protected andare enclosedby a drawn or spun sheet metal cup 22. The upper edge 23 of this cup isflanged out and carried up against the bottom face of thebase plate 11.Thestem 20 of the ball and socket joint already referred to isconveniently mounted in.

the center of the bottom of this cup 22.

The base plate 11 is'provided on its upper face with two curved orarcuate passages 24 and 25 which are respectively for the inlet anddischarge of the'liquid being pumped. These curved passages areestablished by thin walls reachingup from the base plate, asclearlyillustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. A curved cover plate 26 is placedon the upper edges of these walls and serves to enclose the passages 24and 25 referred to.

An inlet check valve 27 establishes commu nication from the inletpassage 24 downwards into each of the expansible chambers, and adischarge check valve 28 establishes communication from each of thechambers upwardly into the discharge passage 25. These check valves arepreferably made in the form of plugs which can be threaded down fromabove, prior to setting the cover plate 26 in place. The check valvesare preferably ball valves and are of ample size to allow the necessaryflow of liquid at the maximum pumping rate.

The discharge valves 28 are located above the upper ends of therespective chambers and are, therefore, at the highest points. The inletcheck valves 27 are provided with side ports 29, as clearly illustratedin Fig. 1, said ports being immediately adjacent to the upper ends ofthe respective chambers so that there are no recesses or sockets intowhich air may become trapped and from which the air will not beeffectively discharged at the beginning of the pumping operation. It

'amply supply of liquid is maintained.

The tilting member 18 .is intended to be rocked on the ball andsocket'joint with a gyratory motion. For this purpose a central stem 30reaches upwards froifl said member 18 through a hole 31 inthe centralportion of the base plate 11. 8

A bridge plece 32 reaches over the cover plate 26 and establishes abearing 33 for a stub shaft 34. The lower end of this stub spaft carriesa worm gear 35 having a radial s 0t 36.

manner, as for example by an electric motor 40. The shaft 41 of saidmotor carries a worm 42 which meshes directly with the worm- I becalibrated so as to pump a definite quanti I erably through a controlrheostat 67 and to upon the base block 11.

gear 35, the motor being mounted directly The number of motorrevolutions is a measure of the total amount of pumping action which hasbeen produced, since the device can ty per revolution of the worm gear35.

therefore place a counting device 43.0n the motor shaft, said countingdevice being visible through a window 44 of the cap 45 which closes overthe upper portion of'the structure. This counter can be so designed asto read directly in gallons or other suitable units of liquid .quantity.w

If desired, a flexible wire shaft 45 may be connected to the motor shaftby meansof a block 46, said flexible wire shaft 45 in turnbeingcon'nected to a counting device on the dashboard of the vehicle.

, The tilting block 18 is intendedto tilt with a gyratory motion butvwithout any actual rotation. This tilting plate is provided with thearms 47, 48 and 49 which connect with .9 the studs 17 of the variouschambers, so

.gyratory motion the various chambers are alternately expanded andcollapsed.

that as the member 18 is oscillated with a The connections of these armswith the chambers will prevent a rotation of the member 18.;

but in orderto assist'in retaining the member 18 against rotation andfor the purpose of relieving the various chambers of any dis- A block 37has its stem 38 reaching through said slot 36, and a nut 39 serves as a.reach' down vertically from the base plate '11. Vertical springs and 56are also connected to the arin 50, the spring 55 having its 7 upper endconnected to the base plate 11 by means of a short clip 57, and thespring 56 having its lower end connected to a bracket '58 which reachesdown from the base plate 11. These springs tend to prevent actualrotation" bf the member 18 and are sufficiently light .to not impose anyunnecessary burden on the structure. In most cases they may beeliminated.

The motor 40 may be of any convenient construction; but preferably it isof such characteristics that it will give an increasing torque as itsspeed increases. For this purpose it may be a difi'erentially compoundeddirect current motor. In Fig. 9 I have shown diagrammatically a seriesof electrical connections for controlling said motor. These connectionsare of form convenient for use on an automobile or other automdtivevehicle. The battery 59 is the usual automobile battery and is groundedat 60. The switch 61 is the usual ignition switch for supplying currentto the inductance coil 62 which is controlled by the distributor 63. Thehigh tension side of said induction coil supplies current to the hightension distributor 64 which in turn. delivers the sparking current tothe plugs 65.

I take a connection 66 from a point beyond the switch 61, saidconnection 66lead1ng prefcompounded direct current motors that they willstart up backwards if the current is delivered to both the shunt andseries fields at the same time, since the initial rush of the currentthrough the series field Wlll take place before the shunt field has an.oppor-- tunity to build up. to its full strength. In order to preventthe motor from turning back wards at such time and thereby subtracting areading from the" counting device 43 I have provided a lock on the stubshaft 34. This lock takes the form of a small disk 71 on" the upper endof the stub shaft, and the bridge piece 32 is provided with a slantingor tapered socket 72 in which is placed a ball 73. This ball is held inplace by a small cover 'plate 74. If desired a small spring 75 may alsobe provided for holding the ball in the locking position.

With the arrangement thus described the shaft 34: may be rotated in acounterclockwise direction, but any tendency for it to rotate has beencalibrated. v

Suitable lubricating oil may be placed in the cup 22 so as topractically submerge the clockwise will be resisted by the ball check.

The cover or cap 45 may be held in place in any convenient. manner; butpreferably a pair of small seals 7 6 and 77 is provided for sealing thecover in place after the device tilting member 18 together with theadjoining connections. This oil may be readily in-.

troduced through asn'iall hole 78 in the cap 45, said hple being thencovered over by a small capl9. The oil so introduced may be filled up toa level whichwill either partially or wholly surround the variousexpansible chambers, but it'will not interfere with the operation of thechambers because as they ride up and down in succession it will be foundthat the total amount of displacement which they occupy within the cup22 is constant. Nevertheless, if necessary the oil may surge up and downthrough the opening 31 in the base plate 11, and the cap is pref erably.secured tightly to the base plate 11 so as to avoid any leakage undersuch conditions.

In Fig. 8 I haveillustrated diagrammatically a series of connectionswhereby the pres-' ent device feeds the fuel to the carburetor of aninternal combustion engine. In this case the fuel supply tank is shownat 80, and carburetor at 81, and the engine at 82-. The pumping deviceof the present invention is shown at 83. The supply pipe 84 from thetank leads down through the cap 45 and connects with the inlet passage24:; and the delivery pipe 85 leads fromthe passage 25 up through thecap 45 to the carburetor of the engine. The counting device 86 is shownin location on the dashboard of the automobile,

the same being connected to the flexible wire shaft 45* already referredto.

While I have here shown and described only a single embodiment of thefeatures of secured to the base plate beneath the position of thechannels aforesaid, means for sealing the lower ends'of said chambers,inletand :discharge check valves in the base plate between the channelsand the upper ends of the chambers, a cup enclosing all of the cham-"bers andhaving its upper edge secured to the mea eroperativeconnections between said member and the lower ends of all ofthe chambers,

there being a central opening in the base plate, an operating stemextending upwards from the tilting member through said opening, andmeans for moving said stem with a gyratory-motion comprising, ,a vertcal stub shaft above the base plate. a disk on the lower end thereof, aball and socket joint connection between the "disk and the upper end ofthe stem, and means for driving the disk, substantially as described.

2. In a liquid displacement apparatus the combination of a base plate,inlet and dis charge passages above the same, a plurality of expansiblechambers located around a common center and beneath the base plate andhaving their upper ends secured to the base plate at positions beneathsaid channels, inlet and discharge check valves between the channels andthe upper portions of the chambers, a cup surrounding the chambers andhaving its upper edge secured to the basev plate. a tilting memberwithin the cup and adjacent to the lower ends of the chambers, a balland socket joint connection between said tilting member and the centralportion of the cup, operative connections between said tilting memberand the lower portions of all of the chambers for moving said lowerportions up and down in succession, there being a central opening inthebase plate, a stem reaching from the tilting member-upwardly throughsaid central opening, and means for causing said stem to travel with agyratory motion, including driving means located above the position ofthe base plate, substantially as described.

3. In .a' liquid displacement apparatus the combination of a baseplate,inlet and discharge passages in conjunction with the same, a pluralityof expansible chambers beneath the base plateand having their upper endssecured to the base plate in alignment with said passages, inlet anddischarge check valves between the passages and the upper portions ofthe chambers, a tilting member adjacent to the lower portions of all ofthe chambers, a ball and socket joint for said tilting member permittingthe same to be moved with a gyratory movement, operative connectionsbetween said member and the lower portions of all of the chambers,- andmeans for moving said tilting member with a gyratory motion from aposition above the base plate, substantiallyas described.

l. In a liquid displacement apparatus the combination of a base plate;inlet and discharge passages in conjunction with the same," a pluralityof expansible chambers beneath tween the passages-and the upper portionsof the chambers, the inlet check valves, in-

cluding valve members located at a lower elevation than the upper endsof the respective chambers and controlling passages leading continuouslyupwards to points of delivery into the extreme upper ends of thechambers without pockets in said passages, and the discharge checkvalves including valve members located at an elevation at least as highas the upper end of the chambers to thereby completely eliminateentrapped air before delivery of pumped liquid, together with means formoving the lower portions of the chambers up and down in succession,substantially as described.

5. In a liquid displacement apparatus the combination of a plurality ofvertical expansible chambers, means for anchoring the upper ends of thechambers against movement, a tilting memberadj acent to the lowerportions of the chambers, means located adjacent to the upper ends ofthe chambers for moving said member with a gyratory motion,

operative connections between said member and the lower portions of therespective chambers, and inlet and discharge passages and check valvesin conjunction with the chambers, substantially as described.

6. In a liquid displacement apparatus the combination of an expansiblecliamber, means for anchoring the upper end thereof against movement,means for closing the lower end of the chamber, means for moving thelower portion of thechamber up and down for pumping actions, and inletand discharge check valves in connection with the top of the chamber,the inlet check valve including a valve member located at a lowerelevation than the upper end of the chamber and controlling a passageleading continuously upwards to a point of delivery into the extremeupper end of the chamber without a pocket, and the discharge check valveincluding a valve member located at an elevation at least as high as theupper end of the chamber to thereby completely eliminate entrapped airbefore delivery of pumped liquid, substantially as described.

THOMAS A. BANNING, JR.

